


Forgotten Family

by ninjawrites



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Galra Keith (Voltron), Gen, Hurt Keith (Voltron), Memory Loss, Post-Episode: s02e08 The Blade of Marmora, Whump
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-27
Updated: 2019-06-27
Packaged: 2020-05-20 15:13:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19379269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ninjawrites/pseuds/ninjawrites
Summary: Keith wakes up with no recollection of the past six months, but apparently he's no longer in his shack, much less on earth. He's in space with a crew and everything, fighting an intergalactic war. They say they're his family, but Keith doubts he is capable of making such strong connections in such short time. Shiro is back, but he's not the same. Who on this ship can he trust?





	1. Chapter 1

From the moment Keith began to wake, he sensed something was off. 

The bed felt different from his own, much too firm, and he couldn't hear any of the natural sounds of the desert that usually woke him in the morning. It was way too quiet, except for the quiet hum of electricity. 

He jolted upright, eyes wide, and cautiously examined the room. His heart beat faster as he realized this was not his shack. The walls were streamlined and white, and the bunk he sat on was built into the wall. Blue glowing lights lined the edges of the floor, and he jumped when the bright lights from the ceiling illuminated, as if sensing he was awake. The only thing familiar to him, was his red jacket hanging on a hook on the wall. 

"What the hell?" He muttered to himself. Keith looked down to see he was fully clothed. Not an unusual sight, as he had a habit of passing out most nights in the shack, still in his day clothes.

Was he at the Garrison? He wondered. It would be the only place within hundreds of miles likely to have a room like this, though he hadn't remembered any of the upper rank dormitories to look quite like this. Either way, he needed to figure out how he got here, and ultimately, get out. 

Keith's stomach dropped, as he realized his blade was not in his belt. He felt around his torso, panic surging through his veins, until he began to feel around the bed. A sense of relief washed over him as his hand met the hilt of the dagger under his pillow. "Thank god." He said, turning the blade gently in his hands as the light reflected off the metallic edge. 

His relief was short lived however, when he heard footsteps at the door. He jumped up, quickly sheathing his dagger behind his back, fists ready to fight his way out. Whoever they were, they weren't going to catch him off guard.

"Keith?" A familiar voice said from behind he door. Keith hardly had any time to register it before the door slid open with a 'woosh.' "Hey, Hunk want's to know what you want for--" Shiro stopped mid sentence, startled by the look of sheer astonishment on the younger man's face.

"Shiro?" Keith practically whimpered as the words left his trembling mouth. His hands dropped to his sides, and he felt as though his knees would collapse.

"Keith are you--" Shiro was interrupted by Keith stepping forward gradually, eyes examining him from head to toe. "Are you okay?" He asked, reaching his arms forward for comfort.

Keith practically stumbled into his arms, looking up in surprise when their forearms made eye contact. Shiro was here. It wasn't a dream. 

"Y-you--" Keith stuttered. "You're alive!" Tears started to stream down Keith's face as he buried his face in Shiro's chest. Shiro stumbled back, surprised by the sudden affection, before enveloping Keith in his own arms.

"Yes I'm here." Shiro said, rubbing his hand on Keith's upper back. "I'm right here, I'm safe." He then pulled back slightly to look him in the eye. "Did you have a nightmare?" He asked. 

Keith looked at him quizzically. "No," he shook his head, wiping a tear from his cheek with his glove. "It wasn't a nightmare." He knew it wasn't. The days he spent in the desert alone were all too real. "They said you were dead. The Kerberos mission went south, they said it was pilot error--" Keith noticed the strange sensation of Shiro's grip, and looked down to see his strange metal arm. His heart sunk as he realized it was a prosthetic. "Shiro, your arm..."

"Keith, look at me." Shiro said. Keith looked back to see concern and a hint of fear in Shiro's eyes. "Do you remember hitting your head?"

Keith thought for a moment, as Shiro angled Keith's head, checking his hair for any sign of injury. "Not that I know of. Where are we?" He asked.

"We're in the Castle of Lions. You don't remember?"

"The castle of what now?" Keith pulled back slightly. "Shiro, are you sure you're okay? Whats going on?"

Shiro's eyes widened. Suddenly, there was another swoosh as the door opened again, this time revealing a lanky young man, slightly familiar, yawning in the doorway. 

"Listen, Keith, my man, Hunk says you're going to miss out on the goo pancakes things if you don't tell him how many you want." The young man's calm demeanor turned slightly less so once he saw Shiro's face.

"Lance, I need you to get Coran, now." Shiro said in a tone that made both of the boys straighten. 

"Shiro, what's wrong?" Lance came closer. 

"Who the hell are you?" Keith snapped, immediately regretting his tone, when the guy recoiled, hurt clear in his face. It wasn't on purpose but Keith was confused, his nerves on edge. He wanted nothing more than to grab Shiro by the hand and bolt out of here.

"That's what's wrong. Get Coran now." Shiro locked eyes with Lance, who nodded, and bolted out of the room. 

Keith's stomach sank, as it hit him that something may be very wrong with him. How else would he have fallen asleep in his own house, and woken up here without a single clue? His head began to spin as he tried to sort out his thoughts, until a sharp pain hit. He winced, bending over with his head in his hands. 

"Keith!" Shiro steadied him, guiding him back to the bed. 

"W-Where are we?" He asked.

"I need you to stay calm. I think you may have some memory loss."

"No shit." Keith rubbed his head with his hand. 

"What's the last thing you remember?" Shiro asked.

"I--I was at home, fixing the hover bike." He pushed through the ache as he sorted through his last clear memory. "There was...something in the sky, it was falling from upper atmosphere." He remembered grabbing supplies before he hopped on the bike, speeding away. After that, nothing. "Oh god, did I crash?"

"Keith..." Shiro hesitated before continuing to speak, as if sorting out what to say. "That was six months ago."

"What?"

"We're not on earth anymore." Shiro tightened the grip on Keith's hand. "We're in space."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance's Perspective

Lance scrambled down the hall, and turned the corner into the kitchen. Pidge sat at the table on her laptop, grumbling over some sort of error in her code. Hunk stood at the stove, flipping an assortment of green fluffy pancakes in a pan.

"I swear if no ones in here on the next minute I'm feeding the rest of the pancakes to Kaltenecker---oh, hi Lance!" The smile on Hunks face faded as he noticed Lance breathing heavily in the doorway. "Is everything okay?"

Lance shook his head. "I don't know."

Pidge looked up from her laptop, adjusting her glasses. "What is it?"

"Keith-" Lance hesitated. "They think something's wrong with him. He can't remember anything."

"Memory loss?" Pidge closed her laptop, and shuffled off the counter. "How bad?"

"Allura and Coran are looking at him right now. They wouldn't tell me anything yet but..." Lance glanced between the two of them, "he didn't recognize me."

"Shit." Pidge gaped.

Hunk clasped a hand over his mouth and hurried to turn off the stove, removing his apron quickly before following the other two out the door. "Did he hit his head? I didn't see any injuries on him when we got back from the skirmish with the Galra supply ship yesterday."

"He seemed totally fine last night." Pidge mentioned, while struggling to keep up with the other two. "Do you think it could've been the Druid blast?"

Lance suddenly came to a halt right before the med bay, reaching out an arm to stop the others. Through the observation window, they could see Keith sitting on the bed, knees pulled up to his chest, Shiro holding him reassuredly by the shoulder. His eyebrows were furrowed, lips pursed in a frown as he glared skeptically at Coran, who buzzed about the room.

"He looks so...small." Pidge said.

"Why are we standing out here?" Hunk whispered. "We're his friends. He needs us."

Lance shook his head. "I don't know man, he looked me in the eye like I was a stranger. It gave me the creeps."

"If he doesn't remember Lance, he probably doesn't remember any of us." Pidge said. "I wonder how far back the memory loss is. He might not even realize we're not on earth."

Lance froze, then lifted a finger slowly pointed towards Allura through the window. "Holy shit."

Allura sat in the corner, eyes filled with concern though careful not to venture too close for Keith's comfort. However, her Altean marks were no longer visible, and her ears were much smaller and rounded. At second glance, Lance realized Coran had taken a human form as well.

"They probably didn't want to freak him out." Pidge guessed.

"This is bad this is really really bad." Hunk said. "It's not permanent is it?"

"I already said I don't know!" Lance whispered harshly. "They hurried me out just as they brought him in." Lance pressed a palm to his forehead and started kneading between his eyebrows. Pidge gently placed a hand on Lance's shoulder.

"It's gonna be okay, they'll figure it out."

Just then, Shiro looked up and noticed them through the window. With a gentle smile, he motioned with his free hand for them to come in. The three of them looked to each other before slowly walking into the doorway of the medical room.

Keith noticed the visitors enter the room and sat up straight, crossing his legs.

"Uh, hi Keith. How are you feeling?" Lance asked first.

"Ummm, okay, I guess." Keith's eyes searched Lance's face. "You were in my garrison class, cargo pilot right?"

"Fighter class, actually..." Lance started to retort, but his voice faded out. "Lance...the name's Lance." The introduction bore much less spirit than it did the first time they met.

"Me too. I mean, same garrison class." Hunk blurted out nervously. "Hunk, Engineering."

"Headband guy." Keith said. "Yeah, I've seen you around." He looked to Pidge curiously, as if he was trying to place a face.

"Katie, Katie Holt." Pidge stepped forward to offer a hand. "You can call me Pidge."

Keith shook it politely. "You're Matt's sibling."

A shadow passed over Pidge's face, though whether it was due to Keith's lack of recognition or the mention of her brother's name, they couldn't tell. Most likely both. "Yeah."

"Ah, I see there is some semblance of familiarity." Coran clutched his tablet hopefully.

Shiro shook his head. "I'm sorry Coran, but this information is from before we left earth."

Keith couldn't keep from glancing between Shiro and Pidge. "Are the other's from the Kerberos mission okay?" He asked. The room suddenly grew silent as the paladins looked to each other.

"They're still missing." Pidge looked down at the floor, hair covering the pain in her eyes.

"What happened?" Keith looked to Shiro, frustration evident in his tone. "You still haven't told me how you survived."

"It's...complicated." Shiro scratched the back of his neck with his metal arm.

"Why did we leave earth?" Keith asked. "I thought the Garrison didn't allow cadets on anything higher than sub-orbital missions."

"This isn't a Garrison spacecraft." Lance crossed his arms, leaning against the doorway. "It's a ship, and it belongs to them." He gestured with his head towards Allura and Coran, jerking when Hunk elbowed him in the ribs.

"Lance, I don't believe this is the appropriate time." Allura's tone was as polite, but held some bite to it.

"What?" Lance threw up his hands. "You guys are dancing around him like he's gonna break or something. This is Keith we're talking about. He can handle it." Lance looked at the surprised glances around the room. "Oh come on, you guys were seriously gonna pretend like we're not in some alien space ship a gazillion light years from earth?"

"Lance!" Shiro gave a warning.

"I'm sorry what?" Keith said.

"I agree with Lance." Pidge stepped forward in protest. "Keith, the energy source you were tracking in the desert, we discovered the origin." She adjusted her glasses. "We found Voltron."


	3. Chapter 3

Keith's gut clenched tighter with every word Shiro spoke.

Somehow, it wasn't the existence of aliens that he found earth-shattering. Keith had always had a sort of skepticism about the idea of humans being alone in the universe, something that the carvings he found in the cave only reinforced. It was merely a confirmation of a feeling he had lived with his entire life. No, it was the recounting of Shiro's story, the capture and imprisonment of the Kerberos crew that struck a nerve. Throughout the entire year he had spent alone, he had constructed wild conspiracy theories, from faulty engineering to secret government cover ups. Anything but the pathetic 'pilot error' excuse the cowards at the Garrison gave him. 

However, his imagination never came close to the truth. 

Shiro spoke gently, recounting his time as a gladiator in the alien prison with a neutral expression, one Keith could tell he was struggling to keep. Keith tried to keep his own emotions in check, for Shiro's sake, but couldn't help how his eyes widened, when told of how Shiro was experimented on, arm amputated for the purpose of making a better fighter. 

"They cured my disease, actually." Shiro let out a slight laugh, fiddling with the wrist of his mechanical prosthetic. "No more of that pesky muscular degeneration." Keith recognized the familiar sadistic humor, though the last thing he wanted to do was laugh.

"I couldn't remember a lot at first, but Ulaz, one of the...." He faded off, as if unsure of what to say next. "One of the Galra, helped me escape. From there I made it to a pod and managed to get to earth. I crash landed, right near the Garrison on the night you last remember."

Keith looked to his mentor in awe. "You---That was you?" 

Shiro nodded. "From what I remember, and what you told me, the Garrison had me quarantined, wouldn't listen to my warnings about the Galra. You..." A smile lit up Shiro's face as he began to laugh at the memory. "You broke into a Garrison Level 5 Clearance investigation site, hauled my ass out of there on your hover bike, along with Pidge, Lance and Hunk."

Keith scoffed, remembering the adrenaline coursing through his veins as he followed the path of the mysterious projectile. That actually wasn't hard to believe, except for the part where he somehow made three friends in less than three hours. 

"And then we found the Blue Lion?" Keith asked, trying to sort through all the details he'd been given earlier, when the room was filled with the other crew members, bickering and spouting information at much too fast a pace. By the time they started talking about an evil alien witch, Shiro had shooed them out. 

Shiro nodded. "Don't worry about remembering all the details. This is too much for one day." He huffed, looking down and rubbing the back of his neck with his human hand.

"I just..." Keith pressed his fingers together in front of his lips. "I can't believe it's been six months. I still can't believe you're right---" He halted, biting his lip as he felt his eyes water. His hand hovered above Shiro's shoulder, hesitant to touch lest he confirm it was only an illusion. Shiro placed his own hand on Keiths, setting them both on his own shoulder. 

"Would it help if I answered any questions?" 

Keith nodded.

"Ask me anything, nothing off limits."

Keith thought for a moment, choosing his words wisely. Shiro may have put no question off limits, but that didn't mean Keith was ready to learn the horrible truths that would answer them.

"How'd you get the hair? Or was that just a strategic fashion choice."

Shiro laughed, looking up and brushing his white bangs. "A combination of stress...and quintessence."

Keith didn't feel like delving into whatever that was. Shiro had been right, this was too much for one day. Maybe only a few more questions, to put his own imagination at ease.

"Does it hurt?" He asked, "The arm?"

Shiro shook his head. "It's sore, sometimes, but otherwise fine." He flexed the mechanical fingers in a fist, rotating the wrist as he eyed the arm. "It's proven to be useful for us, time and time again."

"What was the scar from?" Keith blurted, immediately regretting it. Last thing he wanted Shiro to revisit was a traumatic fight, or torturous memory. Shiro breathed out slowly, making Keith feel even worse. He was about to protest before Shiro spoke up first.

"A muzzle."

Keith felt a sharp pain through his chest, as well as a heated sense of anger building within his core.

"They put them on their more violent prisoners. The ones who were less willing to comply." He brushed a hand over his face, stopping over his mouth as if remembering what had been there. "They didn't think they needed to use them, considering the lack of canines us humans had...but... once they took Matt and Sam away..." He paused, gaze far off across the room. A moment later, his focus came back along with a sly smile Keith knew was masking much more. "Let's just say I was a force to be reckoned with."

They said nothing for the next few moments. Keith had no more questions, at least, any that wouldn't drag Shiro further into a dark headspace. He knew that look, recognized it from his father when he would return from certain fire fights, ones where not everyone made it out alive. It was a different kind of trauma, a different shadow over the eye, but resulted in a sense of failure just the same.

Shiro broke the silence.

"I've actually never told you that before." He said. "Or anyone, nonetheless. No one's ever asked, and quite frankly, I wasn't too keen on sharing it either."

Keith felt the fire in his chest build, as his fists tightened.

"Fuck the Galra."

Shiro's eyes snapped towards him as he lifted himself off the bed and began pacing the floor.

"Fuck them for everything they did to you, every fight they put you in every part of you they've messed with."

"Keith--"

"You said they've taken over planets? Enslaved civilizations?! Fuck them! They need to be brought down and shoved back into whatever hell hole they came from." 

"Now, as much as I agree with that sentiment," Shiro reached out a hand. "I need you to realize that all Galra aren't necessarily with the Empire. Some are good, like the one who helped me escape or the Blade of---"

"Do I look like I care? Shiro they took you away from me!" Keith screamed, his face reddened, fists clenched and shaking.

"Keith, please calm down."

"The Galra need to pay for everything they've done, everything they've put me through! I died, inside Shiro. The past year without you has eaten me up, living without the only semblance of family the universe has given me since it ripped my dad away from me. THIS SHIT IS PERSONAL!" Keith felt his last words rumble like a growl inside his chest. He felt the heat rising in his face, until suddenly the lights in the room were too bright, his vision sharp and clear. He snapped his head towards the slightest movement, realizing it was Shiro, now standing firmly, hands out in a placating gesture.

"Keith, please, this isn't good for you right now." Keith's chest heaved in and out, suddenly feeling like there was too much oxygen flowing through his veins. As Shiro stepped closer, Keith noticed his eyes widen suddenly once they made eye contact.

"What?" Keith half snapped, though by now Shiro's worried look unsettled him. Just then, his eyes caught on to his reflection in the window besides him and he inhaled once the image came into focus. 

His eyes were yellowed, pupils sharp and dilated inwards, until he blinked, and suddenly, they weren't. 

"What the---" He breathed.

Shiro rushed forward to pull him into a tight embrace. "Everything's alright. I'm here. I'm safe." He muttered. "The Galra will pay for what they've done, that's what we're here for." 

Keith's eyes remained on his reflection in the window, eyes now perfectly normal, pupils wide and round. He shivered at the image he had seen just seconds ago, and wondered if he'd even seen it at all.


	4. Chapter 4

Keith wandered throughout the halls of the strange ship. After his earlier breakdown, Shiro had called in the mustached doctor again (Keith was pretty sure he was some sort of doctor) who recommended he get some rest in his room for the remainder of the day. Keith began to protest that he was fine, though decided against it and conceded to their wishes. Honestly, after what he’d brushed off as a hallucination earlier, he wasn’t so sure. After Shiro led him to his room Keith let him go reluctantly, afraid if he lost sight of him, he would disappear again. The only thing worse than Keith’s current situation, he decided, was if this was all a dream. Keith would rather lose his memory a thousand times over if it meant having his big brother back.

Keith laid there alone until he started to get claustrophobic and restless. It had been a few hours, according to the digital clock that flashed above the doorway. Amazingly, he had no trouble reading it, despite the symbols looking nothing like actual numbers. With a huff, he grabbed his jacket and decided to explore the halls of the spacecraft.

It wasn’t too long before he regretted that decision.

Keith finally began to understand why the other people on the ship had called it a ‘castle,’ The halls seemed like an endless maze that Keith couldn’t seem to solve, no matter how hard he tried to retrace his steps. The halls were dark, nothing but the long eerie blue lights lining the floors, and the ceilings were incredibly high. The ship must be enormous, larger than any of the Garrison ships he’d ever toured. He cursed as he came to yet another intersection.

“You lost there mullet?”

Keith jumped and spun around, blade instinctively flying out of his hand toward the offending sound. He froze when he saw his crew member shaking, limbs curled in and Keith’s blade embedded in the wall beside him, six inches from his head.

“Quiznack Keith!!!” The man’s eyes were wide with fear.

“S-sorry,” Keith took a moment to remember the guy’s name from earlier, “…Lance.” He quickly walked over to pull out his knife from the wall, before Lance had a chance to turn and get a good look at it. He sheathed it behind him, trying to remember where the hell he learned to throw it like that.

“You almost killed me!” Lance huffed as he held a hand over his heart. “Good to see your muscle memory still works.” He stood up straight, brushing a hand through his hair.

"Sorry…again. Not really used to being around people lately.”

Lance’s eyes softened, which made Keith’s gut clench. The last thing he wanted right now was pity.

“I, I guess so.” Lance scratched the back of his head.

A few awkward moments passed. Keith wasn’t the best at small talk, neither did he like the situation he was in either. He hardly knew anything about this guy in front of him, but apparently, Lance knew a lot about him. It felt like a disadvantage in so many ways. How much did he know? Were they friends, like Shiro had been with his crew? Or were they more like co-workers? Keith doubted he managed make anything more than acquaintances in the span of six months. Either way, he was struggling with maintaining a simple conversation as usual.

“So, were you lost?” Lance decided to break the silence.

“No.” Keith mumbled.

“Oh, come on, admit it. This place is massive. It took me two weeks before I could even find the kitchen on my own.”

Keith threw up his hands. “Fine, it’s a maze. A fucking horrible maze.”

“Quiznacking.” Lance stated.

“What?”

“Quiznack. It’s the Altean f-word, the only one we really use out here. Shiro will have your hide for using the actual f-word, cause Pidge is only like fourteen. He’s convinced he needs to be a responsible father figure for her or something.”

Keith couldn’t help the snort that escaped him. "Oh my god he would wouldn’t he.”

Lance laughed. “I swear though, she’s actually the worst potty mouth of us all.”

For a second Keith was thankful the ease in tension between them. He wanted to ask what 'Altean’ meant, but was afraid it would just ruin the moment. “Too late for me, I blew up at him earlier.”

“Yikes.” Lance grimaced. “Are you…are you sure you’re doing alright? I know earlier I kind of unleashed our whole situation on you. Sorry about that.

Keith shook his head. "Naw, don’t worry.” Keith began counting off his fingers. “Alien castle ship, fighting evil alien empire, giant robot lions.” Keith said succinctly. “I think I get the gist.”

“Huh.” Lance scratched his chin. “You forgot Voltron.”

“I thought the lions were Voltron.”

“Yeah, they are, but like, Voltron’s still it’s own separate thing you know? When we all meld together in our lions we’re the same, but like…different, like ten times more powerful…or is it five times?” Lance looked as though he managed to confuse himself.

“Whoa wait, meld together?”

“Yeah!” Lance grabbed him by the arms excitedly, before seeing Keith’s confused and skeptical face. “Sorry man it’s hard to explain…“ Lance sunk his head down and trailed off, before snapping his head back up. "Wait! I have an idea!”

Keith froze, eyes wide as Lance clutched his arm awkwardly.

“Follow me!” Lance dragged him through the hallways, and Keith reluctantly followed, not particularly enjoying the unnecessary physical contact, but something in the back of Keith’s mind told him this is just the way Lance was. They ran through the winding corridors until they got to a large door, where Lance placed his hand on a nearby scanner. Keith did not expect the massive expanse of the hangar once they stepped through. Neither did he expect to see what it contained.

Before him were five, massive robot lions, each seated upright in a way that was almost regal. They were quite a distance apart at different corners of the hangar, the largest and most ornate one seated in the center, closest to where Lance and Keith came in. They were individually surround by some sort of blue sphere, what Keith assumed to be force fields or barriers.

“Whoa.”

“I know right?” Lance’s eyes lit up as he gestured to the hangar surrounding him. He then jogged over to the right, stopping in front of the blue one. With one touch of his hand, the blue field surrounding the lion dissolved, and Keith jumped as the eyes lit brightly, laying down so that it’s snout was level with Lance. “Good Blue.” Lance muttered, as he hugged the nose of the mechanical giant. He then turned and gestured with his hand to Keith.

Keith’s feet were frozen in place and he knew he was gawking. Lance rolled his eyes and only gestured faster. “Come on, what you scared?”

Keith’s eyebrows furrowed. “I am not.” He clenched his hands and tread forward, slowing as he got closer to the lion. He couldn’t help but gape in wonder as he looked into the glowing eyes. He looked to Lance, who gestured with his head.

“You can pet her. She loves the attention.”

Keith lifted his hand, trying to keep it from visibly shaking, and placed it against the beast. Strangely, though the metal was cold, he could feel the surface buzzing with energy, as if it was alive. “So this is it, the Blue Lion.” How had something this big been hidden so well less than two miles from his home?

“The one that started it all baby.” Lance flashed a grin. “Cool huh?” His attention suddenly shifted away from Keith, like some one called his name. “I know,” He patted the hull gently. “Keith’s not…feeling well today.”

Keith cocked an eyebrow skeptically. “You talk to it?”

Lance nodded. “Yeah, every paladin has a mental connection to their lion. Less like talking and more like feeling their emotions.”

“Uh huh…”

“Look, if you don’t believe me, see for yourself.” Lance pointed over to the opposite corner of the hangar. “Guess which one is yours.”

Keith turned to where Lance pointed. Mine? Never had he flown such a fine piece of machinery as these, much less anything bigger than Shiro’s old hovercrafts or the Garrison simulator. He sauntered over to where the red and yellow lions were displayed like massive statues. His feet moved him towards the yellow lion, intrigued by its outer protective shell that differed from the others, before he suddenly felt a presence at the back of his mind.

His head snapped to the side as he met eyes with the Red Lion. The blue force field dissolved, and the lions eyes flashed to life. Keith sucked in a breath as he felt the strong and very obvious pull. It managed to convey multiple emotions at the same time, all of which Keith could understand.

“Whoa…” he stood staring upwards in awe, not quite feeling brave enough to get any closer. He felt the lion nudge at his memories. It came to him like a question, one with quite a bit of fire in its tone. Keith tried to convey his own silent apology. Was it mad he didn’t recognize it?

Then it started to occur to him, if he could connect this much with the lion, how deep into his mind did the connection go? The idea of all his secrets being known by anyone, especially such a strange being, made him nauseous. He pushed the sensation down, knowing he had to push past it if this idea of his was going to work.

“Can you help me remember?”


End file.
